What do you think?
Rate this book
Father, Forgive Me, for I Am Frustrated: Growing in Faith When You Don't Find It Easy Being Catholic
Father Pacwa reveals how many Catholics are rediscovering the riches of their faith-despite the spiritual challenges they face. He also offers realistic, practical advice to help you find the sources of support you need to keep growing where you've been planted. A Servant Book.
- GenresCatholic
196 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
4 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Mitch Pacwa
30 books62 followersFr. Mitchell "Mitch" Pacwa , S.J., is a Jesuit priest. He is bi-ritual, meaning that he can celebrate liturgy in both the Roman and Maronite rites. He is President and Founder of Ignatius Productions. He has taught at the University of Dallas and Loyola University and is now the Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.
Fr. Pacwa earned his Ph.D. in Old Testament from Vanderbilt University. He also holds a Master of Divinity and S.T.B. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Loyola University. He is an accomplished linguist speaking several ancient languages, including Latin, Koine Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Ugaritic, as well as the modern languages of German, Spanish, Polish, Hebrew, Arabic, French, and Italian.
Father Pacwa is author of Catholics and the New Age: How Good People Are Being Drawn into Jungian Psychology the Enneagram and the Age of Aquarius (1992), Forgive Me Father for I Am Frustrated: Growing in Your Faith Even When It Isn’t Easy Being Catholic (1997), published by Servant Books. Holy Land Prayer Book (2004) published by Ignatius Productions and co-authored with Sean Brown, Go In Peace: Your Guide to the Purpose and Power of Confession (2007) published by Ascension Press, and Saint Paul: A Study Guide for Catholics (2008) published by Our Sunday Visitor, Saint Paul on the Power of the Cross (2008)
Fr. Pacwa earned his Ph.D. in Old Testament from Vanderbilt University. He also holds a Master of Divinity and S.T.B. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Loyola University. He is an accomplished linguist speaking several ancient languages, including Latin, Koine Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Ugaritic, as well as the modern languages of German, Spanish, Polish, Hebrew, Arabic, French, and Italian.
Father Pacwa is author of Catholics and the New Age: How Good People Are Being Drawn into Jungian Psychology the Enneagram and the Age of Aquarius (1992), Forgive Me Father for I Am Frustrated: Growing in Your Faith Even When It Isn’t Easy Being Catholic (1997), published by Servant Books. Holy Land Prayer Book (2004) published by Ignatius Productions and co-authored with Sean Brown, Go In Peace: Your Guide to the Purpose and Power of Confession (2007) published by Ascension Press, and Saint Paul: A Study Guide for Catholics (2008) published by Our Sunday Visitor, Saint Paul on the Power of the Cross (2008)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 23, 2024
THE POPULAR JESUIT AUTHOR LOOKS AT MANY ISSUES THAT 'BUG' CATHOLICS
Fr. Mitchell (Mitch) Pacwa is a Jesuit priest, who appears as host of several programs on EWTN, and is President and Founder of Ignatius Productions. He has taught at the University of Dallas and Loyola University Chicago, and is now the Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He has written many books, such as 'Catholics and the New Age,' 'Mary-Virgin, Mother, and Queen: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics,' 'The Holy Land: An Armchair Pilgrimage,' etc.
He wrote in the first chapter of this 1996 book, "Many ordinary Catholics feel confused and even ignorant about their faith. Shaken by the changes that have taken place in the Church in the past thirty years, they wonder which beliefs still hold true. Catholics do not eat fish on Fridays anymore. Do they still believe in purgatory? Does it even matter if you believe in purgatory or anything else, as long as you love everybody? What is the use of having an active church life? Doesn't everyone go to heaven anyway?
"Many Catholics also admit to frustration over Church requirements and teaching. Birth control is one hot issue; so is remarriage, especially for Catholics who are divorced and feel punished by the Church's position... Finally some Catholics are frustrated because they do not think the Church is moving (or not moving quickly enough) in the direction they desire. At one extreme are those ... who mistrust every pope since Pius XII. At the other extreme are those whose agenda includes women's ordination, inclusive language that eliminates all masculine references to God, and a loosening of sexual morality!" (Pg. 11-13)
He notes that "Many Catholics who are frustrated or confused by some Church teaching or practice simply disobey it quietly. Others go public, working for change in the Church by using a civil disobedience model borrowed from the protest movements or from community organizing. Therefore, when Rome did not allow the laity to receive Communion in the hand, the practice was simply done without permission as a way to force the issue. The use of girl altar servers was prohibited but some parishes used them anyway until the Vatican accepted it." (Pg. 16)
He observes, "Committed, believing Catholics are not just frustrated but heartbroken over the loss of faith among members of their families. Parents are especially distressed at losing their children to cults, the occult, and hedonistic living. They are grieved because, typically these young people never received adequate Catholic instruction and do not even know what they are leaving behind.
"With the help of their pastor, some sixty members of a Chicago parish found a way to respond to this problem: they pray... Members meet monthly for a novena, Mass, and religious instruction and agree to pray throughout the month for one another's fallen-away relatives, whose names are placed in a special box..." (Pg. 74-75)
He states, "While some occasional public whistle-blowing may be necessary, perhaps a better approach in general is to deal with offenders more directly. I admire those Catholic women who attend feminist conferences and small groups and contest the heretical statements frankly and plainly. Calling St. Monica a b____ or celebrating a feminist liturgy gets challenged on the spot, despite the outburst this action may provoke. In general, documenting an abuse and then speaking directly to the offender, or the immediate superiors if necessary, is better than informing the public." (Pg. 109-110)
This book will be of great interest to Catholics (particularly conservatives, rather than progressives) who have felt such frustrations.
Fr. Mitchell (Mitch) Pacwa is a Jesuit priest, who appears as host of several programs on EWTN, and is President and Founder of Ignatius Productions. He has taught at the University of Dallas and Loyola University Chicago, and is now the Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He has written many books, such as 'Catholics and the New Age,' 'Mary-Virgin, Mother, and Queen: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics,' 'The Holy Land: An Armchair Pilgrimage,' etc.
He wrote in the first chapter of this 1996 book, "Many ordinary Catholics feel confused and even ignorant about their faith. Shaken by the changes that have taken place in the Church in the past thirty years, they wonder which beliefs still hold true. Catholics do not eat fish on Fridays anymore. Do they still believe in purgatory? Does it even matter if you believe in purgatory or anything else, as long as you love everybody? What is the use of having an active church life? Doesn't everyone go to heaven anyway?
"Many Catholics also admit to frustration over Church requirements and teaching. Birth control is one hot issue; so is remarriage, especially for Catholics who are divorced and feel punished by the Church's position... Finally some Catholics are frustrated because they do not think the Church is moving (or not moving quickly enough) in the direction they desire. At one extreme are those ... who mistrust every pope since Pius XII. At the other extreme are those whose agenda includes women's ordination, inclusive language that eliminates all masculine references to God, and a loosening of sexual morality!" (Pg. 11-13)
He notes that "Many Catholics who are frustrated or confused by some Church teaching or practice simply disobey it quietly. Others go public, working for change in the Church by using a civil disobedience model borrowed from the protest movements or from community organizing. Therefore, when Rome did not allow the laity to receive Communion in the hand, the practice was simply done without permission as a way to force the issue. The use of girl altar servers was prohibited but some parishes used them anyway until the Vatican accepted it." (Pg. 16)
He observes, "Committed, believing Catholics are not just frustrated but heartbroken over the loss of faith among members of their families. Parents are especially distressed at losing their children to cults, the occult, and hedonistic living. They are grieved because, typically these young people never received adequate Catholic instruction and do not even know what they are leaving behind.
"With the help of their pastor, some sixty members of a Chicago parish found a way to respond to this problem: they pray... Members meet monthly for a novena, Mass, and religious instruction and agree to pray throughout the month for one another's fallen-away relatives, whose names are placed in a special box..." (Pg. 74-75)
He states, "While some occasional public whistle-blowing may be necessary, perhaps a better approach in general is to deal with offenders more directly. I admire those Catholic women who attend feminist conferences and small groups and contest the heretical statements frankly and plainly. Calling St. Monica a b____ or celebrating a feminist liturgy gets challenged on the spot, despite the outburst this action may provoke. In general, documenting an abuse and then speaking directly to the offender, or the immediate superiors if necessary, is better than informing the public." (Pg. 109-110)
This book will be of great interest to Catholics (particularly conservatives, rather than progressives) who have felt such frustrations.
December 15, 2022
I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about Fr. Pacwa's history. This book has information about important events in his life; you do learn a lot about why he is the way he is. At the same time, he gives great examples of how to increase one's Catholic spirituality. He cites sources and references so one can read what he recommends. I'm very happy he included this because some of it is complicated reference books but some are endorsements of C.S. Lewis and magazines which are easy to read. If you're looking for examples on how to start a Catholic community in your parish or get involved you should also consider reading this book. Overall, definitely one of the best Catholic books I've read, I recommend it to all Catholics.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews